Promise
by St. Harridan
Summary: "Ain't no one's gonna touch ye while I'm 'round, 'Chiru, promise." Zaraki stays true to his words while Yachiru struggles to keep hers.  Kenpachi/first!Yachiru


**Written for 1sentence at LJ.**

**Pairing:** Kenpachi x first!Yachiru

**Theme Set:** Alpha

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><p><span>Promise<span>

#1: Comfort

_Goddamn dumbass just _had _t'disappear right under my fuckin' nose – messed up idiot, _he thinks bitterly as he nurses the deep cut in her shin, but when he feels a hand rest itself on his head, he looks up to find her grinning down at him, a somewhat triumphant gleam in her eyes, but he swipes her hand away with a growl and returns to his ministrations.

#2: Kiss

"You worry too much, Zaraki," she murmurs, bringing his hand up to her lips, and despite how much he wants to deny the fact, he knows that she's damn right; he can't help but worry about her, even to the point of tearing down every hut in the district just so he can get to her, to make sure that she's all right.

#3: Soft

Her lips are soft against his knobbly fingers, lingering over his scarred knuckles as if to soothe his inner turmoil – the more he watches, the more he's entranced by her, unable to look away.

#4: Pain

She lets him go, allowing him to bandage her wound, and when he's done he asks her whether she feels any pain, but, with a rather laidback smile, she replies, ruffling his hair, "Not anymore now that you're here."

#5: Potatoes

He lets out a scoff, though deep down he wills it to be true, rises to his feet and makes his way across the little hut to the old, crumpling sliding door, never looking back as he says, "Stay here an' don't move a goddamned muscle, I'll be back with food soon – don't ye ever go 'round stealin' stuff again, ye hear me, Yachiru?"

#6: Rain

It's raining when he returns, carrying a slaughtered wild boar over his shoulder, and he enters the hut to find it empty, but when he rushes outside once again, he finds her there, standing under the downpour.

#7: Chocolate

He finally manages to get Yachiru inside, and after they've had their dinner, he lies down and listens as she chatters on about her findings in the travelling merchant's caravan; he loves listening to her talks of cakes, chocolate and sweets, but she often forgets where they currently are, and when she turns to him for his opinion or agreement, all he can do is shrug and say, "I've no fuckin' clue what ye're goin' on 'bout, 'Chiru."

#8: Happiness

But, even with his ignorance thrown back at her like that without a trace of apology, Yachiru lets her eyelids drift to a close and lies down beside him; tired, sleepy, fighting the pain in her leg, she sighs in contentment as he drapes an arm around her waist and pulls her close to him – despite his shortcomings, she's still happy with him, and she hopes that things will never change between them.

#9: Telephone

A few knocks on the door cause Yachiru to stir and, swallowing an irritable groan, she moves to get up, but he pulls her back down into his arms, traps her to his chest, and they lie in silence as the stranger outside keeps calling out to them, pleading, "Is anybody in there? Hello?"

#10: Ears

They hold their breath, listening in silence, and when the stranger's pleas finally end in an ear-splitting, blood-curdling scream, shattering the night time calm, he looks down to see Yachiru trembling, white with fear.

#11: Name

Yachiru keeps repeating his name, over and over and over again, sucking in deep breaths only to continue once more; he holds her tight, unable to offer any more gestures of comfort, for they were way beyond a person like him.

#12: Sensual

He caresses her cheek with his roughened finger tips, leaving tiny white lines as if he had just scratched her, and quickly he retracts his hand, tips her head back and looks into her eyes – they are wide with fear, confusion, and the panic that comes with being a foreigner to the 80th District; he always loves her bright brown eyes, but now as he stares into them he is reminded of a cornered rabbit – he can't take it, and so he buries her face in his chest so that he doesn't have to look into them any longer.

#13: Death

Yachiru wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer, as close as they can get, and tries to control her tears, lips murmuring incomprehensible words – he can only make out what seem to be, "When are we going to be next?"

#14: Sex

"Idiot, we ain't gonna be next," he growls lowly, nipping at her shoulder as he trails a hand below her loose, frayed kimono, brushing the hair out of her eyes when he feels her shiver under his heated touch.

#15: Touch

"Cold, eh?" he teases lightly, willing her fear and anxiety away, and when she gives a small, restrained nod, he presses his hand against the small of her back, trying his best to warm her.

#16: Weakness

He smoothes his palm up and down her spine, caressing her shoulder blades with his fingers and thumb, soothing her; although she tries hard in denying it, in truth she really is a coward – he doesn't quite understand why he even sticks with a coward, someone with a ridiculous fear…and what irritates him so is the fact that _she _is his weakness.

#17: Tears

When she tips her head back to look up at him, he half-expects to see tears in her eyes, and is about to snap at her to suck it up, but instead she gives him a tired smile, teasing him, "Scared, captain?"

#18: Speed

That, to him, is a rather fast comeback for Yachiru considering how fearful she had been just moments before, and he has to admit to giving her credit for that; absently, he brushes a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and closes his, grumbling, "Back t'sleep, 'Chiru, or I'll be roastin' yer ass for breakfast t'morrow," but, deep down, he's proud of her increasing courage.

#19: Wind

There is a cliff where they would sit in the evenings to watch the sunset, to feel the wind in their hair, to take a load off from the district's bloody street brawls – it's their very own refuge, their haven.

#20: Freedom

Yachiru stretches her arms above her head as the wind whips the loose folds of her frayed kimono around her; he stands to the side, observing a flock of birds fly towards the setting ball of fire in the distance, giving a start when she wraps her arms around his waist – she laughs, nuzzling the back of his neck, "Don't you wish you were a bird so you can fly out of here and go wherever you want?"

#21: Life

He gets to know about the Seireitei and the Gotei 13 from Yachiru – apparently, she has been there years before – and she keeps going on and on about his fighting skills and high spiritual pressure, saying with much confidence, "One day, I'm sure, you'll be known as…_Captain _Zaraki; people will look up to you, respect you, plus, you get to wear a big white haori and eat lots of food!" but out of all those things, he just wants food and Yachiru herself, nothing more.

#22: Jealousy

He watches from afar, hidden in the shade of a broken down hut, as Yachiru tries persuading a group of gambling men to purchase some apples she had gathered early this morning – half-drunk, they laugh and jeer, and when one takes her wrist while another makes a grab for her backside, he launches himself at them.

#23: Hands

Whirling around like the madman that he is, with his jagged-edged sword he cuts them down one by one, ripping open an abdomen and slicing a head off of shoulders, and it is only when the ground is nothing but pools of steaming blood that he feels her arms wrapped tightly around him, trembling hands clutching fistfuls of his haori, trying in vain to restrain him.

#24: Taste

As bystanders scurry away in fear, he turns to face her, and when he sees the panic, the disapproving yet relieved look in her eyes, he takes her face in his free hand, leans down and kisses her, licking the splatter of coppery blood from her lips.

#25: Devotion

"Ain't no one's gonna touch ye while I'm 'round, 'Chiru, promise," and he grins as if he hadn't just murdered five people right in the street.

#26: Forever

That night, as Yachiru lies wrapped up in his arms, she gazes out the rudimentary square-shaped hole in the wall that serves as a window; she gazes out at the full moon, admiring the way its silvery light casts an ethereal glow unto his frame, deepening the lines of his countless scars, and she wishes that this moment will last forever.

#27: Blood

Lack of warmth is what awakes him, and when he sits up, wondering just where the hell she has gone, he spots blotches of dark liquid on the flood; immediately, he springs to his feet, follows the trail out the back door – coughing sounds can be heard, increasing in volume with each step he takes – and finally he discovers Yachiru, bent over, vomiting into a clump of bushes.

#28: Sickness

He rubs her back as gently as he can to soothe her, but evidently he isn't so good at it since she continues to retch hard, sickening noises shattering the still of night, and when she is finally done he wipes the blood and vomit from her mouth with the back of his hand, leads her into the room and lays her down; her faces is as pale as death itself.

#29: Melody

"Sing me a song, Zaraki," she murmurs, dry, chapped lips curling slightly into a hopeful smile; he stares down at her, studying her moonlit features – he can't remember the words of the song she likes to sing, and is about to drop the subject when she closes her eyes in expectance, and so, he decides to hum instead.

#30: Star

Her face is so peaceful when she sleeps, as though she hadn't been throwing up blood a while ago, as if everything is all right, and this makes him continue his humming in hopes of soothing her, but when she opens her eyes and looks up at him, he stops dead, caught by her odd stare as she says, "Did you see that shooting star?"

#31: Home

There is no shooting star, but he doesn't tell her that; this isn't his home – there's no way in hell will he ever see this godforsaken place as his home – but he grew up here, stays here, and he knows nothing else outside of the 80th District, but he is certain that shooting stars don't exist in Zaraki.

#32: Confusion

He isn't so good at hiding his emotions, and that's how Yachiru can see the confusion laced through his eyes; she reaches out a shaky hand, touches her fingertips to his cheek, and asks him, "What's wrong?"

#33: Fear

Taking her hand in his, gripping it tightly, he shakes his head, but he can't deny the increasing worry, even fear, in his heart when she starts coughing up blood again; he rushes to get water from the old well outside, but when he returns, she is done.

#34: Lightning/Thunder

Before she can drift off to sleep, he makes her drink the water and wets his fingers to wipe the blood from her mouth and chin; lightning flashes, cutting open the night sky, and as thunder rumbles in the distance, he lies down beside her and wraps her arms around her, shielding her from the gods' wrath.

#35: Bonds

Silence engulfs them, shattered only by thunder as it drifts away to the south, and after the last lightning strike, Yachiru opens her eyes – they are bleary and tired, but still she forces them open – and fixes her gaze upon him, "I'm not going to die as long as you're here, Zaraki," here she takes his hand and hooks their little fingers together, "promise."

#36: Market

Early the next morning, he goes to the marketplace – the pools of blood had long been washed away by last night's rain, but the rotting corpses are still there, a reminder of foolishness and the Demon's wrath – and goes in search of some medicine for Yachiru; he doubts there are any, judging on how insufficient daily supplies are here, but it's worth a shot.

#37: Technology

He stops outside a grocery store – normally he won't give so much as a glance at this sort of bullshit, but what has caught his eyes are the spinning paper windmills in the glass display – and, after a short moment of thought, he walks in.

#38: Gift

_Can't find any medicine 'round here…so I hope ye like this lil' piece o' shit, 'Chiru_, he thinks, a little nervous as he drops a brown package in her lap while cursing Soul Society's central headquarters for laying waste to the lower districts.

#39: Smile

While she peels open the package, he sits across from her, watching in silence, pondering ways on how to obtain a cure for her ailment, but when her face brightens up like a child upon seeing the paper windmill and small bag of sweets, his worries are momentarily washed away.

#40: Innocence

Yachiru places the bag of sweets between them, quickly picking out one for herself before gesturing to him; he doesn't like confectionery, but he takes one, chewing on it as he watches her blow the paper windmill into action – she chuckles lightly to herself and turns away from the spinning colours to face him, reaching out to ruffle his hair, "Thank you," and he can't help but lean over and kiss her.

#41: Completion

Yachiru knows that life has its ups and downs, and the highlight of her existence is when she had met him; the illness that she has now is no more than a nuisance, and though it hurts a lot to wake up coughing blood in the middle of the night, she is certain that she can overcome it, _will _overcome it, because until she has "little 'Chirus" of her own, as he likes to call them, she will not die.

#42: Clouds

He looks up at the dark clouds overhead, heavy with an impending storm, and quickens his pace back to their hut; upon setting foot inside, he finds Yachiru lying on the floor, her back facing him, and when he calls to her, she doesn't reply; with panic rising fast within him, he shakes her, rolls her over, and – "Not so _loud_, Zaraki…my head's aching…"

#43: Sky

"Dumbass!" he snarls, flinging his blade into a corner, and kneels down to check her forehead – she's burning up, he rushes to the well for water and demands her to finish half a bucket; he wants to go out to try his luck at finding medicine again, but she stops him, pulls him down so that he's sitting beside her, and eventually he lies down and wraps his arms around her; in silence, together, they watch as the sky darkens and rainclouds roll in.

#44: Heaven

As soon as the first drop of rain falls, Yachiru is up and outside in a second, leaving him to trail at her feels, protesting rather loudly; she frolics under the downpour, splashing about, very much a child at heart, and snaps him out of his sudden trance by telling him to join in – he sits under the shade, frowning in disapproval, but she pulls him out anyway; it's hard to see her illness when she seems so energetic, and, his worries once again washed away, he takes her in his arms and lifts her off of her feet, grinning at her surprised yelp and the laughter that follows.

#45: Hell

Yachiru dies two days later, peacefully in her sleep with trickles of blood at the corners of her smile, and he tears down the Zaraki District, leaving nothing but pools of steaming blood and decapitated bodies in his wake; that's the day he loses his sanity to the Devil.

#46: Sun

He feels the burning heat on his skin, drying his blood-soaked hair, body and clothes, as he stares up at the blinding sun, and all he can muster up at that moment is a broken whisper, "Why?"

#47: Moon

That night, three days after her passing, he sits in the backyard of their hut with her corpse lying before him – it has started to rot, emitting a foul smell and attracting flies, but he doesn't give a rat's ass – and gazes at her deathly pale face; moonlight casts a faint glow across her features, deepening the hollows of her once smooth cheeks.

#48: Waves

_Yachiru wouldn't have wanted this_, he keeps reminding himself as he watches the fire consume her body – she wouldn't have wanted him to mourn her, and now he knows that she would berate him for murdering all those innocents just to release his sorrow – and after he gathers her ashes in his haori, he makes his way, in the dead of night, to the cliff where they used to spend their evenings watching the sunset; he swallows hard, and finally releases her remains to the wind, the crashing waves below his only companion.

#49: Hair

He sits on the cliff, gazing out to sea as the wind whips his hair back from his face, and it seems as though Yachiru is ruffling it, running her fingers playfully through those dark, coarse tresses like she so often did; he tips his head back to look up at the dark night sky, a pained smile tugging at one corner of his mouth as he remembers what she had said days ago – _Don't make promises ye can't keep, dumbass._

#50: Supernova

He doesn't know how long he has been sitting there, but when morning finally creeps in and the sun's rays peek over the hilltops, he rises to his feet and ties the zanpakuto to his back, making a tighter knot than usual – he can still feel her lingering shadow, like the fading moon in the distance, watching over him as he begins his first day without her – and turns to the horizon, "I'll be goin' to the Seireitei then, I'll carry on yer dream'n be a captain like ye said I could," here he catches a star twinkle, as if she's winking at him, and, grinning in reply, he raises a hand and crooks his little finger, "promise."

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><p><strong>Lots of comadash/semi-colon abuse and past/present tense mix-up (I'm lousy at writing in present tense, evidently) but...what the hell? I just _had _to do it! There's a high chance that I'll be doing a Kenpachi/first!Yachiru multi-chaptered story to explore their past and background. Most likely after I've gotten past Chapter 20 of _Frontline_, which will be somewhere in...May.**

**On a side note, a review would be nice. :)**


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